Stranger's Note Warms Police Officer's Spirit During Frigid Detail Shift

PEABODY (CBS) – A woman's small gesture helped warm the spirits of a police officer working a frigid detail shift in Lynnfield.

The Peabody Police Department posted a message from one of the city's officers who explained what happened while working a detail at Market Basket on a 21-degree day.

While he was walking around the outdoor mall, a woman handed the officer an envelope, said thank you and walked away.

Inside the envelope was a note that started "Dear Police Officer."

"Thank you for continuing to do the job you were sworn to do despite all that is happening around you. You are strong. You are brave. You are a hero. You will always have my deepest appreciation, respect and support," the letter said in part.

The officer was taken aback by the exchange.

"I opened the envelope to find this note. I read it and suddenly I wasn't so cold and my feet hurt much less. It's a first in 37 years of being a police officer. So Mary, thank you. It was a well needed boost of both comfort and morale," the officer wrote.